Compact fiber optic connectors, cable assemblies and methods of making the same

ABSTRACT

Fiber optic connectors, cable assemblies and methods for making the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the optical connector comprises a housing and a ferrule. The housing comprises a longitudinal passageway between a rear end and a front end, and, a part of the rear portion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and a part of the front portion of the housing comprises a non-round cross-section with a transition region disposed between the rear portion and the front portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/704,231 filed Mar. 25, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/695,025 filed on Nov. 25, 2019, which claims thebenefit of priority to International Application No. PCT/US2017/064027filed Nov. 30, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S. Application No.62/526,011, filed on Jun. 28, 2017, U.S. Application No. 62/526,018,filed on Jun. 28, 2017, and U.S. Application No. 62/526,195, filed onJun. 28, 2017, the content of which is relied upon and incorporatedherein by reference in entirety.

BACKGROUND

The disclosure is directed to fiber optic connectors along with methodsfor making fiber optic connectors. More specifically, the disclosure isdirected to fiber optic connectors having improved or simplified designsalong with methods of making.

Optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of applications,including but not limited to broadband voice, video, and datatransmission. As bandwidth demands increase optical fiber is migratingtoward subscribers in outdoor communication networks such as in fiber tothe premises applications such as FTTx and the like. To address thisneed for making optical connections in communication networks foroutdoor environments hardened fiber optic connectors were developed. Oneof the most commercially successful hardened fiber optic connector isthe OptiTap® connector sold by Corning Optical Communications LLC ofHickory, N.C., such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,090,406 and7,113,679 (the '406 and '679 patents). The OptiTap® connector is ahardened male plug connector for terminating a fiber optic cable and theassembly is configured for optical connection such as with acomplementary receptacle. As used herein, the term “hardened” describesa connector or receptacle port intended for making an environmentallysealed optical connection suitable for outdoor use, and the term“non-hardened” describes a connector or receptacle port that is notintended for making an environmentally sealed optical connection such asthe well-known SC connector.

FIGS. 1A-1C are prior art depictions showing various stages of mating ofa preconnectorized cable 1 having a plug connector 5 such as an OptiTap®connector with a receptacle 3. Receptacle 3 mates plug connector 5 witha standard SC connector (i.e., a non-hardened connector) at a second end(not visible in these views) using an adapter sleeve for aligningferrules when mating plug connector 5 with the a non-hardened connector.Protection of the non-hardened connector side of the receptacle istypically accomplished by mounting the receptacle 3 through a wall of anenclosure or the like so that the non-hardened end of the receptacle isdisposed inside the enclosure for environmental protection of thenon-hardened connector. As shown by FIGS. 1A-1C, the other end of thereceptacle 3 is accessible for receiving the plug connector 5 at thewall of the enclosure. Other applications may mount the receptacle 3inside an enclosure on a bracket or the like.

Receptacle 3 allows an optical connection between the hardened connectorsuch as the OptiTap® male plug connector with a non-hardened connectorsuch as the SC connector at nodes in the optical network that typicallytransition from an outdoor space to an enclosed and protected space.Receptacle 3 is described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,579,014.Receptacle 3 includes a receptacle housing and an adapter sleevedisposed therein. The receptacle 3 receives a non-hardened connector ata second end as represented by the arrow pointing to the left. Thereceptacle 3 typically requires mounting through a wall of a closure, orinside the closure, such as a closure mounted on the side of subscriberspremises, disposed in an underground vault or on a pole for protectingthe non-hardened connector for outside plant deployments.

Network operators face many challenges for building, deploying andconnecting subscribers to outside plant communication networks such asFiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) or Fiber-to-the-location (FTTx) networks.Besides right of way access for the communication networks, networkoperators may have limited space to available on existing poles or inexisting vaults for mounting devices. Initially, conventional hardenedfiber optic connectors were typically mounted on robust and relativelystiff fiber optic cables, and slack storage for these fiber optic cablesmay also consume limited space or become unsightly in aerialdeployments. Further as outside plant deployments evolved many networkoperators desired to route the fiber optic cable assembly with theconnector through an existing wall of a subscriber premises and into thebuilding or route the fiber optic cable assembly with the connectorthrough a buried duct. Thus, network operators because sensitive to thesize of the fiber optic connector for these types of deploymentapplications.

Consequently, there exists an unresolved need for fiber optic connectorsthat allow quickly and easy deployment and connectivity in a simple andefficient manner while still being cost-effective.

SUMMARY

The disclosure is directed to fiber optic connectors and methods ofmaking fiber optic connectors as described and recited in the claim. Theconcepts disclosed allow a compact form-factor for an optical fiberconnector suitable for numerous applications and variations as desired.

One aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber optic connectorcomprising a housing, a ferrule holder, and a ferrule. The housingcomprises a rear end and a front end with a longitudinal passagewayextending from the rear end to the front end, where a part of a rearportion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and a part of thefront portion of the housing comprises a non-round cross-section with atransition region disposed between the rear portion and the frontportion, where the transition region comprises a asymmetric portion. Theferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from a rear end to a front endof the ferrule, where the ferrule is disposed within a portion of theferrule holder.

Another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber optic connectorcomprising a housing, a ferrule holder, and a ferrule. The housingcomprises a rear end and a front end with a longitudinal passagewayextending from the rear end to the front end, where a part of a rearportion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and a part of thefront portion of the housing comprises a non-round cross-section with atransition region disposed between the rear portion and the frontportion, where the transition region comprises a asymmetric portion,where the rear portion comprises a keying portion. The ferrulecomprising a fiber bore extending from a rear end to a front end of theferrule, where the ferrule is disposed within a portion of the ferruleholder.

Still another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber opticconnector comprising a housing, a ferrule holder, and a ferrule. Thehousing comprises a rear end and a front end with a longitudinalpassageway extending from the rear end to the front end, where a part ofa rear portion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and a partof the front portion of the housing comprises a non-round cross-sectionwith a transition region disposed between the rear portion and the frontportion, where the transition region comprises a threaded portion. Theferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from a rear end to a front endof the ferrule, where the ferrule is disposed within a portion of theferrule holder.

Yet another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber opticconnector comprising a housing, a ferrule holder, and a ferrule. Thehousing comprises a rear end and a front end with a longitudinalpassageway extending from the rear end to the front end, where a part ofa rear portion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and a partof the front portion of the housing comprises a non-round cross-sectionwith a transition region disposed between the rear portion and the frontportion, where the transition region comprises a threaded portion, andthe rear portion comprises a keying portion, where the keying portionextends into the transition region. The ferrule comprising a fiber boreextending from a rear end to a front end of the ferrule, where theferrule is disposed within a portion of the ferrule holder.

A further aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber opticconnector comprising a housing, a ferrule holder, and a ferrule. Thehousing comprises a rear end and a front end with a longitudinalpassageway extending from the rear end to the front end, where a part ofa rear portion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and atleast one locking feature, and a part of the front portion of thehousing comprises a non-round cross-section with a transition regiondisposed between the rear portion and the front portion, where thetransition region comprises an asymmetric portion. The ferrulecomprising a fiber bore extending from a rear end to a front end of theferrule, where the ferrule is disposed within a portion of the ferruleholder.

A still further aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber opticconnector comprising a housing, a ferrule holder, and a ferrule. Thehousing comprises a rear end and a front end with a longitudinalpassageway extending from the rear end to the front end, where a part ofa rear portion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and atleast one locking feature is integrally formed in the rear portion ofthe housing, and a part of the front portion of the housing comprises anon-round cross-section with a transition region disposed between therear portion and the front portion, where the transition regioncomprises an asymmetric portion, and the rear portion comprises a keyingportion. The ferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from a rear endto a front end of the ferrule, where the ferrule is disposed within aportion of the ferrule holder.

Another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber optic connectorcomprising a housing, a ferrule holder, and a ferrule. The housingcomprises a rear end and a front end with a longitudinal passagewayextending from the rear end to the front end, where a part of a rearportion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and at least onelocking feature is integrally formed in the rear portion of the housing,and a part of the front portion of the housing comprises a non-roundcross-section with a transition region disposed between the rear portionand the front portion, where the transition region comprises a threadedportion. The ferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from a rear endto a front end of the ferrule, where the ferrule is disposed within aportion of the ferrule holder.

Yet another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber opticconnector comprising a housing, a ferrule holder, and a ferrule. Thehousing comprises a rear end and a front end with a longitudinalpassageway extending from the rear end to the front end, where a part ofa rear portion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and atleast one locking feature is integrally formed in the rear portion ofthe housing, and a part of the front portion of the housing comprises anon-round cross-section with a transition region disposed between therear portion and the front portion, where the transition regioncomprises a threaded portion, and the rear portion comprises a keyingportion, where the keying portion extends into the transition region.The ferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from a rear end to a frontend of the ferrule, where the ferrule is disposed within a portion ofthe ferrule holder.

One aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber optic connectorcomprising a housing, a ferrule holder, and a ferrule. The housingcomprises a rear end and a front end with a longitudinal passagewayextending from the rear end to the front end, where a part of a rearportion of the housing comprises a round cross-section and at least onelocking feature is a ramp with a ledge that is integrally formed in therear portion of the housing, and a part of the front portion of thehousing comprises a non-round cross-section with a transition regiondisposed between the rear portion and the front portion, where thetransition region comprises a threaded portion, and the rear portioncomprises a keying portion, where the keying portion extends into thetransition region. The ferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from arear end to a front end of the ferrule, where the ferrule is disposedwithin a portion of the ferrule holder.

Yet another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber opticconnector comprising a housing and a ferrule. The housing comprises arear end and a front end with a longitudinal passageway extending fromthe rear end to the front end, where a part of a rear portion of thehousing comprises a polygonal cross-section, and a part of the frontportion of the housing comprises a non-round cross-section with atransition region disposed between the rear portion and the frontportion. The ferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from a rear endto a front end of the ferrule.

Another aspect of the disclosure is directed to a fiber optic connectorcomprising a housing, a ferrule, a cable adapter, a boot and a sealingelement. The housing comprises a rear end and a front end with alongitudinal passageway extending from the rear end to the front end.The ferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from a rear end to a frontend of the ferrule. The boot is attached to a portion of the cableadapter, and a sealing element is disposed over a portion of the bootand a rear portion of the housing.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detaileddescription which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing thesame as described herein, including the detailed description thatfollows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description present embodiments that are intendedto provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature andcharacter of the claims. The accompanying drawings are included toprovide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporatedinto and constitute a part of this specification. The drawingsillustrate various embodiments and together with the description serveto explain the principles and operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIGS. 1A-1C are prior art depictions showing various stages of mating ofa prior art preconnectorized cable having a conventional hardened plugconnector with a receptacle;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fiber optic cable assembly having afiber optic connector with a housing according to one aspect of thedisclosure;

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of another fiber optic cable assemblyhaving a fiber optic connector with alternative housing according to oneaspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the fiber optic cable assembly of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 4 is a close-up perspective view of a fiber optic connector havinga housing that is similar to the housing of FIG. 2 and depictinggeometric features of the housing according to one aspect of thedisclosure;

FIGS. 4A-4D are respective cross-sectional views of the housing of FIG.4 taken along respective planes defined by lines 4A-4A, line 4B-4B, line4C-4C and line 4D-4D;

FIG. 4E is a side view of an explanatory housing that is similar tohousing shown in the fiber optic connector FIG. 4 and further includethreads that are discontinuous on the front portion;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a ferrule subassembly of the fiber opticconnector of FIG. 3 ;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are longitudinal sectional views of the ferrulesubassembly cable assembly of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the ferrule carrier of the ferrulesubassembly of FIG. 3 ;

FIG. 9 is a close-up perspective view of the front end of the ferrulecarrier of FIG. 8 ;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative ferrule carrier that maybe used with the ferrule subassemblies disclosed herein;

FIGS. 11 and 12 respectively are a partially exploded view and anassembled view of the alternative ferrule carrier depicted in FIG. 10 ;

FIGS. 13 and 14 respectively are a partial sectional view and across-sectional view of the alternative ferrule carrier of FIGS. 10-12depicted assembled in a housing of a fiber optic connector;

FIGS. 15 and 16 are longitudinal sectional views of the fiber opticcable assembly of FIG. 2 showing details of the construction;

FIG. 17 is an exploded view of another fiber optic cable assembly thatis similar to the fiber optic cable assembly of FIG. 2 with a fiberoptic connector having a different ferrule subassembly;

FIG. 18 is a partially exploded view of the fiber optic cable assemblyof FIG. 17 with the fiber optic cable attached to the ferrulesubassembly;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of another cable assembly having adifferent fiber optic connector with a housing that is similar to thehousing shown with the fiber optic connector of FIG. 2 according toanother aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 20 is a close-up perspective view of the fiber optic connector ofFIG. 19 depicting geometric features of the housing;

FIG. 21 is an exploded view of another fiber optic cable assemblysimilar to that of FIG. 19 with a fiber optic connector having a housinghaving threads that are discontinuous according to another aspect of thedisclosure;

FIG. 22 is an perspective assembled view of the fiber optic cableassembly of FIG. 21 ;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the cable assembly of FIG. 22 with adust cap installed on the fiber optic connector;

FIG. 24 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cable assembly of FIG.22 in a vertical direction;

FIG. 25 is a detailed exploded view of the front end and of the fiberoptic connector of FIG. 22 ;

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view taken at an opening of the housing andshowing a transverse ferrule retention member securing the ferrule ofthe fiber optic connector of FIG. 22 ;

FIGS. 27 and 28 respectively are a detail view of an alternativetransverse ferrule retention member and cross-sectional view showing thealternative transverse ferrule retention member for securing theferrule;

FIG. 29 is a longitudinal sectional view of a front portion of the fiberoptic connector of FIG. 22 in a horizontal direction;

FIG. 30 is a front end sectional view of a housing having a tuningpocket that allows rotational tuning of the ferrule during manufacturefor improving optical performance;

FIGS. 31 and 32 depict explanatory ferrules having at least oneselectively tunable surface;

FIGS. 33-36 are various views of depicting the housing of the fiberoptic connector of FIG. 23 ;

FIG. 37 is a perspective view of another fiber optic cable assembly withstill another alternative fiber optic connector having a nosepiece;

FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the fiber optic cable assembly of FIG.37 showing a sectional view of a dust cap having a pulling eye and thatmay be secured to the threads disposed on the housing;

FIG. 39 is an exploded view of the cable assembly of FIG. 37 ;

FIG. 40 is a front end sectional view of the fiber optic connector ofFIG. 37 showing the nosepiece attached to the front end of the housing;

FIG. 41 is a front end view of the housing of FIG. 37 showing a securingsurface such as a weld interface on the housing so that the nosepiecemay be attached to the housing so that it covers an opening for thetransverse ferrule retention member;

FIGS. 42 and 43 are perspective and side views of a fiber opticconnector similar to FIG. 37 having an alternative housing with a keyingfeature for fiber optic connectors;

FIGS. 44 and 45 are perspective views of alternative housings depictingother locking feature designs for use with the fiber optic connectorsdisclosed;

FIG. 46 is a perspective view of still another fiber optic cableassembly having a cable adapter that fits into a rear opening of ahousing that can be changed for different types of fiber optic cables;

FIGS. 47 and 48 respectively are a perspective view and across-sectional view the cable adapter of FIG. 46 ;

FIGS. 47A and 48A respectively are a perspective view and across-sectional view of another cable adapter;

FIG. 49 is a sectional view of the rear portion of an explanatory fiberoptic cable assembly showing the fiber optic cable within the cableadapter taken in a vertical direction to depict how the cable may beattached to the fiber optic connectors disclosed herein;

FIG. 50 is a sectional view of the rear portion of the cable assembly ofFIG. 46 showing the fiber optic cable within the cable adapter taken ina horizontal direction;

FIGS. 51-54 are various views of another fiber optic cable assemblyhaving a keying portion configured as a female key; FIG. 51A-53A arevarious views of a portion of another fiber optic cable assembly havinga cable adapter with flexures for cable bend-strain relief;

FIG. 54A is a front perspective view of another housing that may be usedwith the fiber optic connector concepts disclosed herein;

FIG. 55 depicts a distribution cable having a fiber optic connectoraccording to the concepts disclosed disposed on a tether;

FIG. 56 is a perspective view of an explanatory fiber optic connectorthat further comprise a conversion housing attached about the housingfor changing the fiber optic connector from a first connector footprintto a second connector footprint;

FIG. 57 is a sectional view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 56 ;

FIG. 58 is a partially exploded view of an explanatory fiber opticconnector showing the fiber optic connector with a first connectorfootprint along with a conversion housing for changing the fiber opticconnector to a second connector footprint that is a hardened connectorfootprint;

FIG. 59 is an assembled view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 58showing the second connector footprint as a hardened connector footprintwith the dust cap removed for clarity;

FIG. 60 is an assembled view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 58showing the second connector footprint with the dust cap installed;

FIG. 61 is a sectional view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 60 .

FIG. 62 is a perspective view of an explanatory fiber optic connectorthat may have a conversion housing attached about the housing forchanging the fiber optic connector from a first connector footprint to asecond connector footprint;

FIG. 63 is an assembled view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 62after conversion to a second connector footprint configured as ahardened connector footprint with the dust cap removed for clarity;

FIG. 64 is a partially exploded view of the fiber optic connector ofFIG. 63 ;

FIG. 65 is a sectional view of the conversion housing and coupling nutof the fiber optic connector of FIG. 63 ;

FIGS. 66 and 67 are sectional views of the fiber optic connector of FIG.63 ;

FIGS. 68 and 69 are perspective views of the retaining member of thefiber optic connector of FIG. 63 ;

FIGS. 70 and 71 respectively are perspective and sectional views ofanother connector having a ferrule disposed within a ferrule holder thatis loaded from the front end of the connector 10 and having a SC housingattached;

FIGS. 72 and 72A respectively are top and bottom perspective views ofthe connector housing of FIGS. 70 and 71 ;

FIGS. 73 and 74 are cross-sectional views of the housing of theconnector of FIGS. 70 and 71 ;

FIG. 75 is a partially exploded view of the front end of the connectordepicted in FIGS. 70 and 71 ;

FIG. 76 is a cross-sectional view of the front end of the connectordepicted in FIGS. 70 and 71 ;

FIG. 77 is a perspective view of the ferrule and ferrule holder of theconnector depicted in FIGS. 70 and 71 ; and

FIG. 78 is a front end view of the connector depicted in FIGS. 70 and 71without the SC housing showing the details for the retention of theferule holder assembly; and

FIGS. 79 and 79A respectively are a perspective view and across-sectional view of another connector housing comprising a non-roundrear portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of thedisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Whenever possible, like reference numbers will be used torefer to like components or parts.

The concepts disclosed advantageously provide fiber optic connectorsthat allow streamlined manufacture and assembly along with easy andintuitive connectivity with other devices while still having a compactfootprint. The fiber optic connectors disclosed are explained anddepicted with several different embodiments and various otheralternative components or optional features that may be incorporatedinto one or more of the fiber optic connector concepts as desired. Byway of explanation, several different variations of housings aredisclosed that can be modified to use with connector constructions wherethe ferrule loads from either the rear end of the housing or the ferruleload from the front end of the housing. Some embodiments mayadvantageously use fewer parts while providing robust and reliableoptical performance. For instance, some of the embodiments disclosed mayhave the ferrule cooperate directly with an housing (e.g., assembled)without using a ferrule holder like conventional fiber optic connectors.Other constructions may increase the part count of the connectors forvarious reasons or could use a ferrule holder if desired.

In one aspect the fiber optic connectors (hereinafter “connector”)disclosed advantageously comprise a housing and a ferrule. The housingprovides a first connector footprint that interfaces with other devicesfor making an optical connection and various different first connectorfootprints are disclosed herein that may be used with the connectorconstructions disclosed. The first connector footprints may be definedby a housings having a rear portion (RP) and a front portion (FP). Firstconnector footprints may also be further defined by a transition region(TR) disposed between the rear portion (RP) and the front portion (FP)of the housing.

In one explanatory example, the housing comprises a part of the rearportion (RP) having a round cross-section (RCS) and a part of the frontportion having a non-round cross-section (NRCS). The front portion (FP)or the rear portion (RP) of the housing may be further defined invarious configurations as disclosed herein while retaining a part of therear portion (RP) with the round cross-section (RCS) and a part of thefront portion (FP) having a non-round cross-section (NRCS). By way ofexplanation, the front portion (FP) may have a rectangular cross-sectionthat provides a first orientation feature for the connectors foralignment during mating and inhibit insertion into a non-compliantdevice or port.

However, other variations of housings according to the conceptsdisclosed are possible. As an example of another housing disclosedherein for use with the connector constructions disclosed, the housingmay be defined as comprising a part of the rear portion (RP) having apolygonal cross-section (PCS) and a part of the front portion having anon-round cross-section (NRCS). The front portion (FP) or the rearportion (RP) of this explanatory housing may be further defined invarious configurations as disclosed herein while retaining a part of therear portion (RP) with the polygonal cross-section (PCS) and a part ofthe front portion (FP) having a non-round cross-section (NRCS) such asshown in FIGS. 79 and 79A. By way of example, the polygonalcross-section (PCS) may be a hexagon, a rectangle, a square or othersuitable polygon as desired.

Housings disclosed herein define the mating interface for acomplimentary device suitable for mating with the connector and theconnector footprints disclosed are useful for inhibiting insertion intoa non-compliant port or device and damaging either the connector or thedevice along with assuring a suitable optical operation for the opticalconnection since the connector and device are matched. Moreover, thehousings may have features that aid in the proper alignment ororientation of the connector with the complimentary device such asmarkings, keys, keyways, etc. without significantly changing theprimitive form-factors of the housings that are disclosed and claimedherein. By way of example, even though a round cross-section may includeanother feature such as a key or a keyway it is still considered to be around cross-section. Additionally, housing may have other features suchas locking features for securing the optical mating with a complimentarydevice or threads for securing a dust cap.

The housing footprints disclosed herein may be further defined by othergeometry of the housing(s). By way of example, the transition region(TR) disposed between the rear portion (RP) and the front portion (FP).The transition region (TR) may have different configurations accordingto the concepts disclosed. In one embodiment, the transition region (TR)may comprise a first transition portion (TP1) disposed on a first sideof the housing and a second transition portion (TP2) disposed on asecond side of the housing. The first transition portion (TP1) and thesecond transition portion (TP2) may be spaced apart by an offsetdistance (OD) in the longitudinal direction. However, other embodimentsof housings disclosed herein may have all of the transition portions ofthe transition region (TR) aligned along a common transverse plane ofthe connector as desired. In still other embodiments, the transitionregion (TR) of the housing may comprise a threaded portion (TP).

Other variations may further define the housing footprints disclosedherein. By way of example and explanation for use with appropriatehousings disclosed, the first transition portion (TP1) comprises a firstriser dimension (FRD) from the non-round cross-section (NRCS) to theround cross-section (RCS), and the second transition portion (TP2)comprises a second riser dimension (SRD) from the non-roundcross-section (NRCS) to the round cross-section (RCS), where the firstriser dimension (FRD) is different that the second riser dimension(SRD).

By way of another example of non-round cross-section (NRCS) for use withappropriate housings disclosed herein, a part of the front portion (FP)of the housing having the non-round cross-section (NRCS) comprises arectangular cross-section having rounded corners (RC). The rectangularcross-section with rounded corners (RC) is a non-round cross-section(NRCS) due to the rectangular cross-section. The rounded corners (RC)may be sized so they have a similar outer dimension (OD) as a dimension(D) for the round cross-section (RCS) or not. The rounded corners (RC)may provide stability and snug fit for the mated connector within a portor device when side-pull forces are experienced to inhibit undue opticalattenuation by having the round corners transition between the frontportion (FP) to the rear portion (RP). However, other geometry ispossible such as chamfers or the like such as when the rear portion (RP)has a polygon cross-section (PCS).

The housing footprints disclosed herein may be still further defined byother geometry of the housing(s). For instance, the front portion (FP)of the housing may comprise another cross-section portion (ACSP). By wayof explanation, the another cross-sectional portion (ACSP) may comprisea SC footprint. The SC footprint can, in part, be similar to the innerhousing of a conventional SC connector. This particular housingfootprint is useful for allowing the connectors disclosed to bebackwards compatible into existing devices or ports usingwell-established connector footprints as desired.

Housings may also define further features such as a transition regiondisposed between the rear portion and the front portion with thetransition region comprising an asymmetric transition with respect to alongitudinal axis of the housing. Likewise, other features on thehousing may define the housing as asymmetric for orientation or matingwith compliant devices or ports.

Another aspect for some of the advantageous connectors disclosed hereincomprise one or more features allowing for rotation of the ferruleduring assembly for tuning the connector and improving opticalperformance. Some of the connector designs disclosed also offermulti-stage tuning of the ferrule/assembly or infinite tuning of theferrule/assembly to any desired rotational position for improvingoptical performance.

The concepts described herein are suitable for making both indoor andoutdoor fiber optic cable assemblies using the connectors disclosed suchas drop or distribution cables. Further, the fiber optic connectorsdisclosed may allow for the use of one or more additional components forchanging the connector form-factor defined by the particular housing. Byway of example, a conversion housing may cooperate with the housing ofthe connector for changing the fiber optic connector from the firstconnector footprint defined by the housing to a second connectorfootprint at least partially defined by the conversion housing.Consequently, the connectors disclosed herein may be converted to becompatible as other well-known commercial connectors forFiber-to-the-Home applications such as an SC connector or an OptiTap®connector such as available from Corning Optical Communications ofHickory, N.C. Of course the concepts disclosed herein may be used withother fiber optic connector types whether hardened or not and are notlimited to these particular connector conversions. Likewise, theconnector designs disclosed may be hybrid designs with both optical andelectrical connectivity. Electrical connectivity may be provided bycontacts on or in a portion of the housing of the connector and may beuseful for power or data as desired for applications such as FTTx, 5Gnetworks, industrial applications or the like. These and otheradditional concepts are discussed and disclosed in illustrative detailwith reference to FIGS. herein.

Several different constructions of fiber optic cable assemblies 100(hereinafter “cable assemblies”) comprising connector 10 and variationsof connector 10 are disclosed herein. The connectors 10 may use any ofthe suitable housings or different connector constructions as desiredand appropriate. By way of explanation, FIGS. 2, 2A, 3 and 5-17 discloseconnectors where a ferrule 30 is inserted from a rear end 21 of housing20, and FIGS. 19-43 and FIGS. 46-53 disclose connectors where ferrule 30is inserted from a front end 23 of the connector 10. However, housings20 may be modified for using connector designs. FIGS. 4A-4E depict anexplanatory housing 20 for discussing geometry that generally speakingmay be used with any appropriate connector construction as well as havethe housing modified or altered for the desired housing design orconnector construction. Likewise, housing 20 of FIG. 2A with thethreaded transition portion (TP) may be modified or altered for thedesired housing design or connector construction. FIGS. 44 and 45disclose concepts related to alternative locking features 20L for usewith housings 20 as appropriate. FIGS. 46-53 disclose another cableassembly 100 comprising connector 10 concepts disclosing another cableadapter that may be used with appropriate connectors 10 disclosedherein. FIG. 54 depicts connector 10 according to the concepts disclosedhaving another housing footprint. FIGS. 56-61 disclose cable assemblies100 comprising connectors 10 having a first connector footprint wherethe connectors 10 may be convertible to connectors 10′ having a secondconnector footprint using a conversion housing 80, 82. FIGS. 62-69disclose cable assemblies 100 comprising connectors 10 having a firstconnector footprint where the connectors 10 may be convertible toconnectors 100″ having a second connector footprint using a differentconversion housing 82. FIGS. 70-78 disclose a connectors where ferrule30 is disposed within a ferrule holder 49 and inserted from a front end23 of the connector 10.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view and FIG. 3 is an exploded view of cableassembly 100 having connector 10 and a fiber optic cable 90 (hereinafter“cable”). FIGS. 15 and 16 are longitudinal sectional views of the cableassembly 100 of FIG. 2 showing details of the construction. FIG. 2Adepicts cable assembly 100 having connector 10 with a housing 20 that issimilar to the housing 20 for connector 10 of FIG. 2 , but the housing20 of FIG. 2A has a different transition region TR. Specifically, thehousing 20 of FIG. 2A has a transition region TR with a threaded portionTP and may be used with the connector constructions disclosed herein asappropriate.

Connector 10 comprises housing 20 and a ferrule 30. Housing 20 comprisesa rear end 21 and a front end 23 with a longitudinal passageway 22extending from the rear end 21 to the front end 23. As best shown inFIG. 7 , ferrule 30 comprises a fiber bore 32 extending from a rear end31 to a front end 33. Passageway 22 allows one or more optical fibers ofcable 90 to pass through the housing 20 for insertion into fiber bore 32of ferrule 30 such as depicted in FIG. 7 . Cable 90 comprises at leastone optical fiber 92, one or more strength components 94 and a cablejacket 98.

Connector 10 or components of connector 10 as depicted in FIGS. 2, 2A, 3and 5-17 allows ferrule 30 to be inserted into housing 20 from rear end21 of housing 20. Specifically, ferrule 30 is inserted into an opening21A at the rear end 21 of housing 20. Housing 20 depicted in FIG. 2A issimilar to the housing 20 FIG. 2 , except it has a different transitionregion (TR). Specifically, the transition region (TR) of the housing 20of FIG. 2A comprises a threaded portion; otherwise the concepts of theconnector are similar to the other disclosed herein. The thread portion(TR) allows the securing of an appropriate dust cap 70 and also allowsfor the conversion of the connector footprint such as to a hardenedconnector footprint such as shown in FIGS. 62-69 . However, the conceptsof the rear inserted connector constructions may be used with anysuitable housing disclosed herein.

As depicted, connector 10 of FIG. 3 comprises housing 20, ferrulesub-assembly 60 and cable adapter 59. In this embodiment, ferrule 30 isa portion of ferrule sub-assembly 60. An opening 21A at the rear end 21of housing 20 is sized for receiving a portion of ferule sub-assembly60. Ferrule sub-assembly 60 is configured to cooperate with the housing20 for inhibiting the rotation of the ferrule sub-assembly 60 withrespect to housing 20 when assembled. However, ferrule sub-assembly 60may be configured to allow rotation of ferrule 30 for tuning asrepresented by arrows and angle θ as desired before the ferrulesub-assembly 60 is fully-seated within housing 20 as discussed herein.

Ferrule sub-assembly 60 also comprises a ferrule carrier 40. Ferrulecarrier 40 may have different configurations as disclosed herein.Ferrule 30 is tunable relative to housing 20 if desired and may havestep-tuning in defined increments based on the ferrule geometry.However, other features or designs disclosed herein for the connectorsmay allow infinite tuning of the ferrule to any desired rotationposition. Tuning ferrule 30 allows improved optical performance byturning the ferrule so that any eccentricity in the optical fiber,ferrule or connector is rotated to a known rotational position orquadrant in a uniform manner. Consequently, connectors or other matingdevices can be tuned to similar relative rotational positions forimproving optical performance such as reducing optical insertion loss ofdue to optical fiber core misalignment or the like as understood in theart. Embodiments disclosed herein may also have a plurality ofinterfaces between components for tuning of the connector as desired.

The design of connector 10 of FIG. 3 may also advantageously allowmulti-stage tuning if desired. Ferrule 30 or other components/assembliesmay be tunable in step increments such as by quadrants or be infinitelytuned as desired. By way of example, ferrule sub-assembly 60 may be maybe configured to allow rotation of the sub-assembly with respect tocable adapter 59 (or other components) as desired for tuning ferrule 30as represented by the arrows and angle ϕ as depicted. Moreover,multi-stage tuning may result in infinite tuning, which means that anydesired rotational position desired for any eccentricity of the fibercore within the ferrule 30 is possible. The step or degree of tuning atdifferent component interfaces may depend on the particular constructionof the ferrule, ferrule carrier, cable adapter or housing with respectto the permitted of rotation and the possible increments of rotation forthe components.

By way of example, a first-stage of tuning may be step-tuning byquadrant and a second-stage of tuning may be infinite tuning to allowinfinite rotation as desired. More specifically, the first-stagestep-tuning may be used for gross tuning of the eccentricity of thefiber core such as to the desired quadrant of the and then thesecond-stage provides infinite tuning by allowing the fine tuning of theeccentricity of the fiber core within the quadrant for preciserotational positioning. By way of explanation, infinite tuning mayaccomplished by having one or more components rotate through an angle of±180 degrees without step increments, thereby allowing any rotationalposition for ferrule 30. Of course, other tuning schemes are possibleusing the concepts disclosed herein. Likewise, variations of ferrulecarrier 40 or ferrule subassembly 60 are possible and disclosed hereinfor use with any suitable housing 20.

Connector 10 of FIG. 3 allows ferrule 30 to be rotated or tuned withinthe ferrule subassembly 60 as depicted. Ferrule 30 may be configured torotate as a step rotation or infinite rotation depending on theparticular design. For instance, ferrule 30 could have a selectivelytunable surface 36 that is round for providing infinite rotationalpositioning or selectively tunable surface of ferrule 30 could comprisea plurality of planar surfaces 36 for step tuning by only allowingcertain rotation positions. Moreover, infinite tuning of ferrule 30 maybe accomplished by tuning or rotating though an angle of ±180 relativeto the ferrule carrier 40 if desired. Being able to rotate one or morecomponents in either direction allows for flexibility in tuning andinhibits excessive twisting of the optical fiber, which is generallyundesirable.

Connector 10 of FIG. 3 also allows ferrule carrier 40 to be rotated fortuning the ferrule relative to housing 20 as depicted. In thisembodiment, ferrule carrier 40 is tunable relative to the housing 20 byway of the rotational position of ferrule carrier 40 relative to cableadapter 59 or rotational position of the cable adapter 59 with respectto the housing. Specifically, ferrule carrier 40 may be tunable thoughan angle ϕ of ±180 relative to the housing 40 or in step-increments suchas using ferrule carrier rotational key 41K (FIG. 5 ) or the like asdesired. For instance, a ferrule carrier rear end 41 may have one ormore keys for cooperating with cable adapter 59 and only allowingcertain positions for tuning, or the ferrule carrier rear end 41 maysimply cooperate with the cable adapter 59 for providing infiniterotational positions for tuning. The details of tuning will be discussedin more detail below.

Likewise, it is possible for connector 10 of FIG. 3 to have to a thirdinterface for tuning. Specifically, the cable adapter 59 may be tunablerelative to the rear end 21 of housing 20. Like the ferrule carrier rearend 41, a flange portion (not numbered) of cable adapter 59 may have oneor more keys for cooperating with the rear end 21 of housing 20 and onlyallowing certain positions for tuning, or the flange portion of cableadapter 59 may simply cooperate with the rear end 21 of housing 20 forproviding infinite rotational positions for tuning. Thus, connector 10of FIG. 3 provides several different tuning options for manufacturingdepending on the desired requirements for the connector.

FIGS. 4-4E depict an explanatory housing 20 for connectors and will bedescribed in further detail to explain concepts and geometry of housings20 suitable for use with connector concepts disclosed herein. Althoughthe housing of FIG. 4 is a close-up perspective view of connector 10having a different construction than the housing 20 depicted in FIGS. 2and 3 , the housing 20 of FIG. 4 is similar to housing 20 of theconnector of FIGS. 2 and 3 . Generally speaking, the footprint ofhousing 20 of FIG. 4 may be used with connector constructions thatinsert the ferrule 30 from the rear end 21 of housing 20 or connectorconstructions that insert the ferrule 30 from the front end 23 ofhousing with appropriate modification(s) for the connector construction.By way of explanation, the longitudinal passageway 22 of the housing 20may need to be modified for the different connector constructions asappropriate.

Connectors 10 disclosed herein may use any suitable housing 20 with thedesired footprint or construction. The disclosure describes severaldifferent housings that may be used with connector constructions asappropriate and other variations are also possible. FIG. 4 depictshousing 20 and connectors 10 may use a variety of different variationsof the housing shown in FIG. 4 or other housings such as the housing 20shown in FIG. 54 which has the locking feature on a separate component.Likewise, housing 20 may comprise one or more features for alignmentduring mating and may also comprise other features for securing orlocking the connector in a suitable complimentary port or device.Housing 20 has a relatively compact form-factor such as having a lengthL of about 40 millimeters (mm) or less and a cross-section dimension ofabout 15 mm or less such as 12 mm or less, but other suitable dimensionsare possible for the housing.

FIGS. 4A-4D are respective cross-sectional views of the housing of FIG.4 taken along respective planes defined by line 4A-4A, line 4B-4B, line4C-4C and line 4D-4D. Lines 4B-4B and 4C-4C are taken at the samecross-section. FIG. 4E is a side view of housing 20 that is similar tohousing 20 shown in FIG. 4 , but further includes threads 28 likehousing 20 depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 . Threads 28 are disposed on thefront portion FR of housing 20 and are discontinuous.

Housing 20 comprises the rear end 21 and the front end 23 with alongitudinal passageway 22 extending from the rear end 21 to the frontend as shown in FIG. 4E. Housing 20 of FIGS. 4A-4E comprises a part ofthe rear portion RP having a round cross-section RCS and a part of thefront portion having a non-round cross-section NRCS. Transition regionTR is disposed between the rear portion RP and the front portion FP ofhousing 20. Transition region TR comprises a first transition portionTP1 disposed on a first side of the housing and a second transitionportion TP2 disposed on a second side of the housing. In this version,the first transition portion TP1 and the second transition portion TP2are spaced apart by an offset distance OD in the longitudinal directionof the housing 20 as best shown in FIG. 4E. The offset distance OD forthe transition portion TP is useful since it allows connector only tofully-seat into complimentary devices or ports having the matchinggeometry. However, other housings 20 for connectors disclosed herein mayomit the offset distance if desired.

Housings 20 may also have suitable features or structures for sealingconnectors 10. The sealing plane should be located at a suitablelocation along the housing 20 for providing suitable environmentalprotection as necessary for the desired environment. Illustratively,housing 20 may include one or more grooves 20G for receiving anappropriately sized O-ring 65. Housings 20 may include other feature orstructures for aiding in sealing. For instance, the housing 20 may havea suitable surface for receiving a portion of a heat shrink 99 or thelike for sealing between a portion of the cable 90 and the connector 10.Any suitable heat shrink 99 may be used such as a glue-lined heatshrink. Moreover, other structures or features are possible for aidingin providing a robustly sealed cable assembly 100.

As used herein, the transition region TR is disposed between the rearend 21 and the front end 23 where the housing 20 makes atransformational shift in the primitive cross-sectional shapes from apart of a rear portion RP to a part of the front portion FP. As usedherein, a primitive cross-section means the outer perimeter of thecross-section without regard for the internal features of thecross-section. Further, portions of the cross-sections may include otherfeatures that modify the shape of the primitive cross-sections asdesired such as a keying feature, retention feature or a lockingfeature, while still practicing the concepts of the transition region TRor front/rear portions as disclosed herein. For instance, a frontportion FP may have rounded corners or chamfered corners while stillbeing a rectangular cross-section.

In this embodiment of housing 20, the front portion FP of housing 20 hasa rectangular cross-section that provides a first orientation featurefor the connectors for alignment during mating and inhibit insertioninto a non-compliant device or port. The non-round cross-section NRCShas the rectangular cross-section with a width W1 and a height H1 asshown in FIG. 4B. The rectangular cross-section provides the firstorientation feature since the rectangular portion may only be insertedinto a complimentary device or port in certain orientations due to itsrectangular shape, thereby inhibiting incorrect insertion or insertioninto non-compliant devices or ports.

As best shown in FIG. 4C, housing 20 of FIGS. 4A-4E has the firsttransition portion TP1 that comprises a first riser dimension FRD fromthe non-round cross-section NRCS to the round cross-section RCS, and thesecond transition portion TP2 comprises a second riser dimension SRDfrom the non-round cross-section NRCS to the round cross-section RCS,where the first riser dimension FRD is different that the second riserdimension SRD. The riser dimensions are measured perpendicular from themid-point of the cord defined by the surface of non-round cross-sectionNCRS as shown in FIG. 4C to the outer surface of the round cross-sectionRCS.

The geometry of housing 20 of FIGS. 4A-4E also comprises the non-roundcross-section NRCS comprising a rectangular cross-section having roundedcorners RC, and the rounded corners RC are sized so they have a similarouter dimension OD as a dimension D for the round cross-section RCS. Therounded corners (RC) may provide stability and snug fit for the matedconnector 10 within a port or device when side-pull forces areexperienced to inhibit undue optical attenuation by having the roundcorners transition between the front portion FP to the rear portion RP.

The front portion FP of housing 20 depicted has more than one primitivecross-sectional shape over its length. Specifically, the front portionFP of housing 20 of FIGS. 4-4E also comprises another cross-sectionportion ACSP. By way of explanation, the another cross-sectional portion(ACSP) may comprise a SC footprint. The SC footprint can, in part, besimilar to the inner housing of a conventional SC connector. Thisparticular housing footprint is useful for allowing the connectorsdisclosed to be backwards compatible into existing devices or portsusing well-established connector footprints as desired. Otherembodiments may have connectors configured for LC connector or otherknown connector footprints as desired.

As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 4D, the front portion FP of housing 20 maycomprise another cross-section portion ACSP with a primitivecross-section that is different than the non-round cross-section NRCSdepicted in FIG. 4D. More specifically, the non-round cross-section NRCSchanges to another cross-section portion ACSP as shown. As depicted inFIG. 4D, the another cross-section portion comprises a rectangularcross-section with a width W2 that is less than W1 and a height H2 issimilar to height H1. By way of example, height H2 may be equal toheight H1. In one embodiment, the another cross-section portion ACSP hasa primitive cross-section that is similar to a cross-section near afront end of a SC connector.

Likewise, the rear portion RP may have more than one primitivecross-section shape over its length as desired. Moreover, rear portionRP may include one or more retention features or locking features thatalter or modify the cross-section. For instance, housing 20 may alsoinclude locking feature 20L so that the connector may secured in anadapter, port or other suitable device. For instance, locking feature20L may comprise features integrated into the housing such as one ormore of a groove, a shoulder such as shown in FIG. 4E and FIG. 45 , ascallop such as shown in the housing 20 of FIG. 3 , a reverse bayonetsuch as depicted in FIG. 44 , or a ramp with a ledge such as shown inFIG. 71 . In these examples, the locking features 20L advantageously areintegrated into the housing 20 and do not require extra components andmay be used with any of the disclosed concepts. In some embodiments, thelocking features 20L are subtractive portions from the primitivegeometry of the rear portion RP such as a notch in the round rearportion RP. Consequently, having the locking features integrated intothe housing 20 (e.g., monolithically formed as part of the housing) mayallow denser arrays of connectors in complimentary devices. Moreover,these locking features integrated into the housing 20 are rearward ofthe sealing location of connectors 10. For example, the integratedlocking features of housing 20 are disposed rearward of at least onegroove 20G that seats O-ring 65. Locking feature 20L may cooperate withfeatures of a complimentary mating device for securing the mating of theconnector 10 with the complimentary mating device.

Housing 20 may also have features that aid in the proper alignment ororientation of the connector with the complimentary device such asmarkings, keys, keyways, etc. without changing the primitiveform-factors of the housings that are disclosed and claimed herein.Additionally, housing may have other features for mating with acomplimentary device or threads for securing a dust cap. FIG. 2 is aperspective view of connector 10 with a housing 20 similar to thehousing 20 depicted in FIG. 4 , but it further includes threads 28 andkeying feature 20K. FIGS. 25 and 26 depict a fiber optic connectorsimilar to FIG. 20 having an alternative housing 20A that may be usedwith any suitable fiber optic connector disclosed herein. Housing 20further comprises a keying feature 20K. Keying feature 20K has apredetermined location with respect to an orientation of housing 20 foraligning the form-factor of the housing with a respective mating device.For instance, the housing 20 or keying feature 20L provides a properorientation for connection in one orientation, which may be desired forconnectors having angled ferrules. In this embodiment, keying feature20K ensures correct rotational orientation of the connector 10 duringinsertion and mating with another device.

In this particular embodiment, housing 20 is monolithically formed;however, other embodiments could have designs where the housing wasformed from one or more components as desired. Housing 20 having aplurality of components could be assembled by snap-fitting, adhesive,welding or the like. Illustratively, FIGS. 39 and 40 depict a housing 20having a plurality of components.

Returning to the description of connector 10 of FIG. 3 and itscomponents, FIG. 5 is an exploded view of ferrule subassembly 60 shownin connector 10 of FIG. 3 . Ferrule subassembly 60 may have severaldifferent constructions as depicted herein and still practice theconcepts disclosed. For instance, ferrule subassemblies 60 may usedifferent ferrule carrier 40 constructions such as disclosed or desiredwhile still practicing the concepts disclosed.

Ferrule 30 is a portion of ferrule subassembly 60. In these embodiments,an opening 21A at the rear end 21 of the housing 20 is sized forreceiving a portion of the ferrule subassembly 60. When assembled, theferrule subassembly 60 is configured to cooperate with the housing 20for inhibiting the rotation of the ferrule subassembly 60 with respectto the housing 20. For instance, the ferrule subassembly may have afriction fit or interlocking structure that cooperates with thepassageway 22 of the housing 20 that inhibits rotation of the ferrulesubassembly 60 with respect to housing 20. However, in other embodimentsthe ferrule subassembly 60 may be free to rotate for tuning or the likeuntil the ferrule subassembly 60 is fixed in position relative tohousing 20 such as with an adhesive or the like.

As depicted in FIG. 5 , ferrule subassembly 60 comprises a ferrulecarrier and a resilient member 50. Some embodiments of the ferrulesubassembly 60 may omit the resilient member 50 and not bias the ferrule30 forward. If a resilient member 50 is used, ferrule carrier 40 mayfurther comprise a resilient member pocket 46 as shown. As depicted, theresilient member pocket 46 may be configured for receiving the resilientmember 50 in a direction transverse to a longitudinal direction of theferrule carrier 40 (e.g., transverse to the optical fiber passageway) asrepresented by the arrow.

As shown in FIG. 5 , ferrule carrier 40 comprises a ferrule carrier rearend 41, a ferrule carrier front end 43 and a ferrule carrier passageway42 extending from the ferrule carrier rear end 41 to the ferrule carrierfront end 43, where the ferrule carrier passageway 42 comprises a fiberbuckling zone 47. The fiber buckling zone allows the optical fiber 92 tohave room to move rearward during mating without causing undue opticalattenuation. In other words, during mating the ferrule 30 may be pushedrearward slightly cause the optical fiber 92 of the cable 90 to deflectand in order to inhibit optical attenuation the fiber buckling zone 47provided for allowing fiber movement.

Ferrule carrier 40 may have several different designs. In oneembodiment, the ferrule carrier comprises a ferrule carrier front end 43with the ferrule carrier front end 43 comprising at least onecantilevered portion such as shown in FIG. 10 . Generally speaking, theat least one cantilevered portion extends from a medial portion of theferrule carrier and allows the assembly of the ferrule 30 into theferrule carrier 40. The at least one of the first cantilevered portion43A may also be configured to cooperate with the housing 20 forinhibiting the rotation of the ferrule 39 with respect to the housing 20when the ferrule subassembly 60 is fully-seated in the housing 20, andallow rotation of the ferrule 30 for tuning when the ferrule subassembly60 is not seated in the housing 20.

By way of explanation and example, the front portion of the longitudinalpassageway 22 of housing 20 may be sized for snuggly fitting toshoulders 43S disposed on the ferrule carrier front end 43 so that oneor more of the cantilevered portions either squeeze the ferrule 30 andinhibit rotation or inhibit the deflection of the at least onecantileved portion so that the ferrule 30 is inhibited from rotatingbeyond its desired location. However, the ferrule carrier 40 stillallows the ferrule 30 to “float” to the desired degree so it cantranslate such as in the rearward direction (i.e., z-direction) or X-Ydirections for allowing the ferrule to move slightly to the desiredlocation for precise alignment during mating. For instance, the ferrule30 is biased and may “float” on the resilient member.

The use of the ferrule carrier described herein should not be confusedwith a ferrule holder that fixes a conventional ferrule directly to theferrule holder so there is no appreciable movement between the ferruleand the ferrule holder. Conventional connectors allow the entireassembly of the ferrule holder/ferrule to be biased by a spring. On theother hand, embodiments such as depicted in FIG. 3 , FIG. 17 and FIG. 21allow the ferrule to float without using a ferrule holder. Moreover, theuse of the ferrule holder/ferrule assembly is another componentinterface where stack-up of tolerances may exist and impact geometry.Consequently, connectors disclosed herein may eliminate the conventionalferrule holder along with the expense and manufacturing time required byusing a conventional ferrule holder.

FIG. 5 depicts the ferrule carrier front end 43 comprising a firstcantilevered portion 43A and a second cantilevered portion 43B. FIGS. 6and 7 are longitudinal sectional views of ferrule subassembly 60 of FIG.3 showing details of the design and assembly. FIGS. 8 and 9 respectivelyare a perspective view and close-up perspective view of ferrule carrier40 of FIGS. 5-7 depicting details of the ferrule carrier.

In this embodiment, at least one of the first cantilevered portion 43Aor the second cantilevered portion 43B are configured to cooperate withthe housing 20 for inhibiting the rotation of the ferrule 30 withrespect to the housing 20 when the ferrule subassembly 60 isfully-seated in the housing 20, and allow rotation of the ferrule 30 fortuning when the ferrule subassembly is not seated in the housing 20. Byway of explanation, ferrule carrier front end 43 of FIG. 5 may be sizedto cooperate with the housing 20 by fitting into a passageway 22 thatinhibits the cantilevered portions 43A, 43B from deflecting outwards,thereby inhibiting the rotation of the ferrule 30 with respect to theferrule carrier 40 when the ferrule carrier front end 43 is fully-seatedin the housing 20 since some of the selectively tunable surfaces 36 (inthis case the planar surfaces 36S) of ferrule 30 cooperate with ferruleretention structure 43C of the ferrule carrier 40.

Ferrule subassembly 60 is assembled by placing the resilient member 50into the resilient member pocket 46 by inserting the spring in thetransverse direction to the ferrule carrier passageway as best shown inFIG. 5 . Ferrule carrier 40 of FIG. 5 allows ferrule 30 to be insertedfrom the ferrule carrier front end 43 as represented by the arrow. Asferrule 30 is inserted into the ferrule carrier front end 43 the firstcantilevered portion 43A and the second cantilevered portion 43B deflectoutward as represented by the arrows shown in FIG. 6 . As the ferrule 30is seated in the ferrule carrier front end 43 the first cantileveredportion 43A and the second cantilevered portion 43B spring back towardtheir original positions to capture the ferrule 30. As best shown inFIGS. 7 and 9 , one of the first cantilevered portions 43A or the secondcantilevered portions 43B comprise a ferrule retention structure 43C.Consequently, when the first and second cantilevered portions 43A, 43Bare inhibited from deflecting, then ferrule 30 is inhibited fromrotating such as when the ferrule subassembly 60 is fully-seated withinhousing 20. However, when the first and second cantilevered portions43A, 43B are allow to deflect outwards such as shown in FIG. 6 , thenthe ferrule 30 may be rotated thru any desired angle θ for tuning.

Further, the rear end of ferrule carrier 40 may have other features thatallow tuning if desired. For instance, ferrule carrier rear end 41 mayhave a ferrule carrier groove 41G or shoulder for cooperating with thecable adapter 59, thereby allowing rotation between the two componentsin either step increments or infinite increments as desired anddiscussed herein. By way of example, ferrule carrier 40 may comprise oneor more ferrule carrier rotational keys 41K to allow rotational stepincrements or the ferrule carrier 40 may omit ferrule carrier rotationalkeys 41K and allow infinite rotational positions relative to the cableadapter 59, which may be keyed to the rear end 21 of housing 20. Ferrulecarrier 40 may be attached to cable adapter in any suitable manner suchas adhesive, welding, mechanical fitment, etc.

Other embodiments may integrate the ferrule carrier 40 and cable adapter59 into a monolithic component. However, using separate cable adapter 59allows the connectors 10 to be adapted to different cables such asround, flat, different sizes by merely selecting the appropriate sizedcable adapter 59 for the desired cable type. Additionally, cable adaptermay include one or more flexures 59F at the rear portion for providingcable bending strain-relief if desired instead of using a conventionalboot. The flexures as depicted are suitable for flat cables that have apreferential bend-characteristic.

Again, the connectors disclosed herein may allow the ferrule 30 to havea small amount of “float” within ferrule carrier or housing withoutusing a ferrule holder like conventional fiber optic connectors.Conventional connectors mount the ferrule within a ferrule holder in afixed position and then typically the ferrule holder is biased by aspring. On the other hand, some of the connector designs disclosed bythe present application have the resilient member 50 directly bias theferrule, which eliminates parts and also allows more flexibility forferrule selection or tuning. Moreover, the ferrule may be tuned relativeto the ferrule carrier or the housing depending on the connector design.Further, the high precision geometry ferrule holder is eliminated alongwith the tolerance stack-up using a conventional connector with aferrule holder. However, the housings concepts disclosed herein may beused with connectors having ferrule holders such as disclosed in FIGS.70-78 .

Ferrule retention structure 43C is configured to cooperate with geometryon ferrule 30. Specifically, ferrule 30 depicted in FIG. 5 has at leastone selectively tunable surface 36 that cooperates with the ferruleretention structure 43C. Ferrule retention structure 43C is sized forsnugly-fitting to one or more selectively tunable surfaces 36 of ferrule30 as shown in FIG. 7 . However, when the ferrule carrier 40 is notseated in housing 20, the ferrule 30 may be rotated within ferrulecarrier 40 about an angle θ for optically tuning the assembly. Ferrule30 may have a round selectively tunable surface 36 for infinite tuning,but that requires a tight fit between the ferrule carrier front end 43and the appropriate portion of the passageway 22 of the housing 20. Ifthe ferrule 30 uses selectively tunable surfaces 36 comprising aplurality of planar surfaces 36S, then the appropriate portion of thepassageway 22 merely has to inhibit deflection of the at least onecantilever arm so that the ferrule 30 is inhibited from rotation whenfully assembled. FIGS. 8 and 9 depict detailed views of the ferrulecarrier 40 of FIG. 5 . As depicted, the first and second cantileveredportions 43A, 43B of ferrule carrier 40 may have stepped down portionsforward of shoulder 43S, thereby allowing robust seating and inhibitingof deflection of the cantilevered arms 43A, 43B.

Ferrule 30 may have any suitable number of plurality of planar surfaces36S as desired. By way of explanation, four planar surface 36S allowsquadrant tuning and further planar surfaces allows finer tuning in afirst-stage. However, ferrules 30 may have any number of planar surfacesas desired such as six or eight planar surfaces to increase the numberof steps for tuning the ferrule. Generally speaking, quadrant tuning issufficient and if coupled with an infinite second-stage tuninginterface, then the connector advantageously may be tuned to anydesirable rotational position in a quick and easy manner duringmanufacturing.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternative ferrule carrier 40′ thatmay be used in the ferrule subassembly 60 and FIGS. 11 and 12respectively are a partially exploded view and an assembled view of thealternative ferrule carrier 40′ in ferrule subassembly 60. This ferrulecarrier 40′ is similar to ferrule carrier 40, but only has firstcantilevered arm, and requires loading of the ferrule 30 from thetransverse direction like the resilient member 50. Ferrule 30 may stillbe rotated with respect to ferrule carrier 40′, but it may require aslightly larger rotational force to deflect the U-shaped portion or aslightly upward translation of the ferrule 30 to help reduce therotational force required for the rotation.

FIGS. 13 and 14 respectively are a partial sectional view and across-sectional view of the alternative ferrule carrier 40′ of FIGS.10-12 depicted assembled into ferrule subassembly 60 and disposed inhousing 20 of fiber optic connector. As depicted, the passageway 22 ofhousing 20 may include different geometry for seating the ferrulesubassembly 60 within the housing and inhibiting the rotation of ferrule30 relative to the housing 20 using the alternative ferrule carrier 40′.As depicted, housing 20 comprises a passageway 22 with an internal key20KI that cooperates with the U-shaped portion of the alternativeferrule carrier 40′. Consequently, the alternative ferrule carrier isinhibited from further rotation with respect to the housing 20.

FIG. 17 is an exploded view of another cable assembly 100 that issimilar to the cable assembly 100 of FIG. 2 with a fiber optic connectorhaving a different ferrule subassembly 60 and FIG. 18 is a partiallyexploded view of the cable assembly 100 of FIG. 17 with the fiber opticcable attached to the ferrule subassembly 60. This cable assembly 100comprises a connector 10 that has a ferrule carrier 40 that ismonolithically formed with the cable adapter as depicted. Otherwise, thecable assembly 100 is similar to the cable assembly 100 of FIG. 2 .

The concepts disclosed herein may be used with other types and designsof connectors. For instance, FIGS. 19-43 and FIGS. 46-53 discloseconnectors where ferrule 30 is inserted from a front end 23 of theconnector 10. These connectors designs are depicted without a ferruleholder as generally discussed herein, but may be used with a ferruleholder if desired. These connector designs are different from theearlier connector designs since they do not use a ferrule carrier;however, these designs can still be optically tuned if desired.Specifically, these connector designs comprise a ferrule 30 that“floats” relative to the housing 20 and uses a different structure forsecuring the ferrule while allowing the ferrule float. Any suitablehousings 20 as described herein may be used for these connectors so longas they are suitably modified for securing the ferrule 30 as disclosedin more detail below.

Illustratively, FIGS. 19 and 20 are perspective views of cable assembly100 having a different fiber optic connector 10 with housing 20 that issimilar to the housing shown with the fiber optic connector of FIG. 2 ,but having ferrule 30 that loads from the front end 23 of housing 20 andsecured a transverse ferrule retention member 140. FIG. 21 is anexploded view of another cable assembly 100, that is similar to that ofFIG. 19 with the connector having a housing having threads on thehousing that are discontinuous. FIG. 22 is an perspective assembled viewof the cable assembly 100 of FIG. 21 and FIG. 23 is a perspective viewof the cable assembly 100 of FIG. 22 with a dust cap 70 installed. FIG.24 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cable assembly 100 of FIG. 22in a vertical direction and FIG. 29 is a longitudinal sectional view ofa front portion of the fiber optic connector 100 in a horizontaldirection.

With reference to FIG. 21 , connector 10 comprises housing 20, ferrule30 and transverse ferrule retention member 140. Housing 20 is similar tothe other housings disclosed herein, but further comprises an opening129 in an outer surface that is transverse to the longitudinalpassageway 22 of housing 20. The opening 129 is sized for receiving thetransverse ferrule retention member 140 and securing the ferrule 30 in amanner that allows suitable movement so it may float as appropriate asdepicted in FIG. 24 . Connector 10 may also comprise a band 69 forsecuring a cable 90 to the connector if desired.

FIG. 25 is a detailed exploded view of the front end of the cableassembly 100 of FIG. 22 and FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view taken atthe opening 129 of the housing 20 of FIG. 19 showing transverse ferruleretention member 140 securing the ferrule 30. As depicted in FIG. 25 ,ferrule 30 is loaded into the passageway 22 of housing 20 from the frontend 23 and secured by the cooperation of the ferrule 30 with thetransverse ferrule retention member 140 that is inserted into opening129 for cooperating with at least one surface of the ferrule 30.Specifically, ferrule 30 is inserted into the passageway 22 until thecooperating surface such as a ferrule retention feature aligns with theopening 129 so that the transverse ferrule retention member 140 mayengage the surface and securing the ferrule. Additionally, the at leastone surface of the ferrule 30 that serves as the ferrule retentionfeature cooperates with the transverse ferrule retention member 140 issized relative to the transverse ferrule retention member so that theferrule 30 may float. The ferrule retention feature may also be the samefeature as the at least one selectively tunable surface 36.

In this embodiment, ferrule has at least one selectively tunable surface36 so that ferrule 30 may have at least two rotational orientations withrespect to the housing 20 (and which acts as the ferrule retentionfeature). However, ferrules 30 may have any suitable numbers ofselectively tunable surfaces 36 so the ferrule 30 may have the desirednumber of rotational positions for tuning the ferrule. By way ofexample, ferrule may have four, six, eight or any suitable number ofselectively tunable surfaces 36 as desired. More specifically, thelongitudinal passageway 22 of housing 20 extending from the rear end 21to the front end 23 also comprises a tuning pocket 24 in cooperationwith the longitudinal passageway 22. The tuning pocket 24 allow therotation or manipulation of the ferrule 30 within the housing as needed.In this embodiment, the transverse ferrule retention member 140 issecured to the housing 20 using a pair of catches 140C disposed on thearms of the transverse ferrule retention member 140. Catches 140C maysnap-fit to portions of the housing 20 disposed in opening 129 suchledges. However, other variations for securing the ferrule 30 arepossible. By way of example, FIGS. 27 and 28 respectively depict adetailed view of an alternative transverse ferrule retention member 140having catches 140C and cross-sectional view showing the alternativetransverse ferrule retention member 140 for securing ferrule 130. Asbest depicted in FIG. 27 , the catches 140C are disposed on a medialportion of the arms of this alternative transverse ferrule retentionmember 140. Consequently, the catches 140C cooperate with a portion offerrule 30 as depicted in FIG. 28 , instead of the housing 20 asdepicted in FIG. 26 . FIG. 29 is a sectional view of a portion of thehousing 20 having a width of opening 129 being larger than the width ofthe transverse ferrule retention member 140 so that the ferrule 30 mayfloat. FIG. 30 is a sectional view depicting tuning pocket 24 of housing20 that allows rotational tuning of the ferrule 30 during manufacturefor improving optical performance. Specifically, when transverse ferruleretention member 140 is disengaged, then the ferrule 30 may be rotatedrelative to the ferrule. As depicted, tuning pocket 24 allows ferrule 30to be rotated by a suitable angle θ for optical tuning to a preferredrotational position as represented by the arrow. By way of example,ferrule 30 may be rotated by an angle θ of ±180 degrees, but othersuitable angles are possible.

FIGS. 31 and 32 depict explanatory ferrules 30 having at least oneselectively tunable surface 36. FIG. 31 shows a ferrule that may betuned to quadrants with four selectively tunable surfaces 36. Generallyspeaking, the selectively tunable surfaces 36 are configured as planarsurfaces as shown. More specifically, the selectively tunable surfaces36 are formed by a plurality of planar surfaces that are recessed on theferrule 30. Finer tuning is possible with the concepts disclosed byhaving more selectively tunable surfaces such as six, eight, ten ortwelve, thereby providing more rotational positions for securing theferrule 30. FIG. 32 depicts a ferrule 30 where the selectively tunablesurfaces 36 are disposed adjacent to a free rotation portion 36A of theferrule 30, thereby allowing rotation of the ferrule for tuning duringassembly without removing the transverse ferrule retention member 140.By way of explanation, the ferrule 30 in FIG. 32 may be secured bytransverse retention member 140 and when rotational tuning is required,then the ferrule 30 may be displaced rearward until free rotationportion 36A is aligned with the transverse retention member 140 allowingrotation of the ferrule in either direction and when the desiredrotational position is reached the ferrule 30 is allowed to translate tothe forward position where the selectively tunable portions 36 engageand cooperate with the transverse ferrule retention member 140 toinhibit rotation of the ferrule 30. Consequently, the transverse ferruleretention member 140 does not need to be removed from housing 20 fortuning.

FIGS. 33-36 are various views of depicting the housing 20 of theconnector 10 of FIG. 23 comprising opening 129 and tuning pocket 24. Asdepicted, housing 20 is similar to the other housings and may bemodified for the desired housing configuration as desired. For instance,although the housing 20 depicts threads 28 that are discontinuous forattaching dust cap 70 such as shown in FIG. 23 , variations are possiblethat eliminate the threads 28 and use a push-on dust cap. Likewise,other variations to the housing 20 are possible such as changing themating geometry and using the concepts disclosed with the matinggeometry of the housing 20 depicted in FIG. 54 . Further, housings 20may have different retention features or different locking features 20L.By way of comparison, housing 20 of FIG. 3 comprises a locking feature20L disposed between rear end 21 and a front end 23 configured as ascallop and the locking feature 20L of the housing of FIG. 4 isconfigured by a shoulder. The shoulder comprises an enlarged annularportion 126 with a flat surface on the rear side.

By way of example, FIG. 37 is a perspective view of another cableassembly 100 with still another alternative connector 10 that is similarto connector 10 of FIG. 19 , but further comprises multi-piece housing20 comprising a nosepiece 160. FIG. 38 is a perspective view of thecable assembly 100 with dust cap 70 and FIG. 39 is an exploded view ofthe cable assembly 100.

As best depicted in FIG. 39 , the connector 10 comprises a housing 20having nosepiece that fits about a front end 23. In this configuration,using the separate nosepiece 160 provides more access to the passageway22 of the housing and allows more room and vision for assembly.Moreover, the opening 129 is disposed in a location that is covered bynosepiece 160 so that once the connector is tuned and the nosepiece 160is secured the transverse ferrule retention member is not visible oraccessible. Housing 20 of this embodiment also has a different lockingfeature 20L compared with the housing depicted in FIG. 33-36 and anaperture 29. Locking feature 20L is configured as a groove for receivinga clip or other suitable locking feature from a complimentary device forretaining the connector in a mated state when secured. This embodimentof the connector also use cable adapter 59 so that the connector mayaccommodate different cable types by using the appropriately sized cableadapter for the given cable 90.

FIG. 40 is a front end sectional view of the connector 10 of FIG. 37showing the nosepiece 160 attached to the front end of housing 20 andFIG. 41 is a front end view of the housing showing an attachmentinterface (not numbered) such as a weld interface disposed on a frontportion of the housing 20. As depicted in FIG. 40 , once the nosepiece160 is installed it inhibits the removal of the transverse ferruleretention member 140. In other words, the transverse ferrule retentionmember 140 is not visible, nor is it accessible once the nosepiece isinstalled. Consequently, once the connector is tuned and the nosepieceis suitable installed, the transverse ferrule retention member 140 istamper-resistant. The attachment interface of the housing provides asurface for attaching nosepiece 160. Nosepiece 160 may be attached inany suitable manner such as adhesive, friction-fit, snap-fit, welding orthe like as desired. In one embodiment, the nosepiece 160 is formed froma translucent material. Using a translucent material for nosepiece 160allows the use of a UV curable epoxy for securing the nosepiece 160.

Still other variations of connectors are possible using modifiedhousings or other modified components. FIGS. 42 and 43 are perspectiveand side views of a connector 10 similar to FIG. 37 having analternative housing 20. Housing 20 in this embodiment does not have anoffset distance among transition portions TP1-TP4. In other words, allof the transition portions TP1-TP4 are aligned. Additionally, thishousing 20 comprises keying feature 20K for orienting the connector formating. Keying feature 20K is a key, but other embodiments may use othersuitable structure such as a keyway or the like.

Other variations of housings disclosed herein are also possible such ashaving other shapes for the rear portion RP such as a polygoncross-section PCS, instead of the round cross-section RCS. Polygoncross-sections may have any suitable number of side such as four, five,six, seven or eight, but other suitable number of sides are alsopossible. Still other variations are possible with the housing conceptsdisclosed. For instance, the housing 20 of the connectors may beconfigured to work with other devices so that a retention feature orlocking feature of the connector is intended to cooperate with differentdevices for maintaining the optical connection at the mating interface.By way of example, FIGS. 44 and 45 are perspective views of portions ofalternative housings 20 depicting other locking feature designs. Thehousings 20 depicted in FIGS. 44 and 45 may be used with any suitableconnectors disclosed herein. Likewise, locking or retention features maybe selected with other features such as keying features 20K. Keyingfeature 20K has a predetermined location with respect to an orientationof housing 20 for aligning the connector form-factor with a respectivemating device. Specifically, the housing 20 provides a properorientation for connection in one orientation, which may be desired forangled ferrules. In this embodiment, keying feature 20K is disposed on acenter line of fiber optic connector 10 and ensures correct rotationalorientation during insertion and mating with another device.

Components or features of connectors may be selected as desired to formother variations of connectors. Illustratively, FIG. 46 is a perspectiveview of still another cable assembly 100 using a connector similar tothe connector of FIG. 37 , but having a different cable adapter 59. Theconnector also has a different type of locking feature 20L than thehousing 20 of the connector of FIG. 37 . Like the cable adapter 59 ofFIG. 37 , the cable adapter 59 of this embodiment that fits into a rearopening 21A of the housing 20. As discussed, using connectors with aseparate cable adapter 59 allows the connector to be used with differenttypes cables by merely changing out and selecting the cable adapter thatis suitable for the desired cable 90. FIGS. 47 and 48 respectively are aperspective view and a cross-sectional view the cable adapter 59 of FIG.46 . FIG. 49 is a vertical sectional view and FIG. 50 is a horizontalsectional view of the rear portion of cable assembly 100 showing thecable 90 disposed within the cable adapter 59.

FIGS. 47A and 48A are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view ofanother cable adapter 59, that is similar to the cable adapter of FIG.47 . As depicted, cable adapters 59 may comprise an aperture 59A, arecessed surface 59R, a shoulder 59S, a passageway 59P, and a cablesaddle 59C or a cable adapter key 59K as desired for any particularembodiment of cable adapter 59. Generally speaking, cable adapter 59comprises passageway 59P from a cable adapter front end 59F to a cableadapter rear end 59R. Passageway 59P allows the optical fiber 92 ofcable 90 to pass therethrough. Shoulder 59S allows cable adapter 59 tohave a snug-fit within the passageway 22 of housing 20 and inhibitsadhesive from wicking or flowing forward of the shoulder 59S. Anyadhesive or epoxy used for securing cable adapter 59 may wick around therecessed surface 59R for creating a sufficient bonding area and anyexcessive adhesive or epoxy may flow into the aperture 59A. Housings 20may include one or more aperture 29 for injecting epoxy or adhesive orthe adhesive or epoxy may be placed on the cable adapter beforeinsertion into the housing. For instance, housing may include twoapertures 29 such as show in FIG. 49 so that air may escape as adhesiveor epoxy is injected. Additionally, the one or more apertures 29 may bealigned with the apertures 59A of the cable adapter so that the adhesiveor epoxy also secures the strength members 94 of cable 90 to the cableadapter 59 that is secured to the housing 20, thereby forming a robustcable/connector attachment and also providing sealing at the rear end.Cable saddle 59C is sized and shaped for the particular cable 90 that isintended to be secured using the cable adapter along with theappropriate components as appropriate such as depicted in FIG. 50 . Therear portion of the cable adapter 59 may have a cable bend relief areasuch as a reverse funnel at entrance to the passageway, flexures orother suitable structure for inhibiting sharp bending of the cable nearthe rear of the cable adapter 59. Further, cable adapters 59 may or maynot include keys 59K as desired for cooperating with features of thehousing. The rear portion 59R of the cable adapter 59 of FIG. 47Acomprises one or more ribs 59RB suitable for receiving a boot orovermold on the rear portion 59R. The ribs 59RB aid in the retention ofthe boot or overmold.

FIG. 51 is perspective view of another cable assembly 100 according tothe concepts disclosed and FIG. 52 is an exploded view of the cableassembly 100. Housing 20 of this embodiment is similar to the housingdisclosed herein, but further comprises a keying portion 20KP thatextends into the transition region TR as shown, but embodiments withoutthe keying portion 20KP are possible. The transition region TR of thishousing is asymmetric. Specifically, the asymmetric transition region isa threaded portion TP, but other asymmetric geometries are possible asdisclosed herein. In this embodiment, the keying portion 20KP isconfigured as a female key or a subtractive portion on housing 20 suchas a female keyway or a slice on the side of the connector leaving aD-shape. The keying portion 20KP extends into the transition region asshown. The keying portion 20KP cooperates with a suitable keying portionin a connection port of a device such as an additive or male portion forinhibiting non-compliant connectors from being inserted into theconnection port. Although, the keying portion 20KP is disposed about 180degrees from the at least one locking feature 20L, other arrangementsare possible where the keying portion 20KP is disposed less than 180degrees from the at least one locking feature 20L. In other embodiments,keying portion 20KP may be arranged as a subtractive portion thatremoves a side or slice of the housing 20 for creating a D-shapedcross-section over the length of the keying portion 20KP; instead of thefemale keyway shown.

The internal construction of connector 10 of FIG. 52 is similar to thatof FIGS. 70-78 where ferrule 30 disposed within a ferrule holder 49 andinserted from a front end 23 of the connector 10 and is discussed inmore detail in relation to those FIGS. This embodiment also comprises aboot or overmold 259 disposed on the rear portion 59R of cable adapter59 as best shown in FIG. 53 . Further, when assembled a sealing elementsuch a heat shrink 99 is disposed over the boot or overmold 259 as bestshown in FIG. 54 . The sealing element may also be disposed over aportion of the housing 20 as shown. Placing the sealing element overboot or overmold and a portion of the housing 20 allows for sealing ofthe cable jacket to the rear of the connector. This may also improve thebending strain-relief for the cable assembly.

FIG. 51A is a rear perspective view of another cable assembly havingcable adapter 59 with flexures 59F for bend-strain relief. FIGS. 52A and53A are a side and sectional views of the cable assembly of FIG. 51Ashowing heat-shrink 99 before and after being installed. As depicted, ifthe cable adapter 59 uses flexures 59F they are generally aligned withthe flat portions of cable 90 for cable bend relief. Also the cableadapter 59 may or may be able to have more than one rotational positionwith respect to the housing 20 depending on how the ends of thecomponents cooperate or not. As depicted in FIG. 53A, housing 20 mayhave a stepped down portion at the rear end 21 for receiving a portionof heat shrink 99 and may cover the flexures 59F while also providingfurther cable bending strain-relief.

Still other variations of housings 20 are possible using the connectorconcepts disclosed herein. The other connector embodiments disclosedincluded locking features 20L that were integrated into the housing 20;however, other connectors may use locking features that are separate anddistinct components from the housing 20. Although this may require abigger connector footprint or more access space between connectors theconcepts of separate and distinct components for the locking featuresare possible. FIG. 54A is a front perspective view of another housing 20that may be used with the fiber optic connector concepts disclosedherein. In this embodiment, the securing feature is formed on a separateand distinct component from the housing 20. Specifically, securingfeature is disposed on a coupling nut 120 having threads and thatrotates about an outer shaft of housing 20 for securing the connector toa complimentary device. Additionally, the housing 20 may not have offsetdistance between transition portions of the housing 20 such as depictedin this embodiment.

Connectors disclosed herein may be portions of other cable assemblies asdesired. For instance, FIG. 55 depicts a distribution cable 100′ havingone or more connectors 10 on tether cables 90′ that extend from amid-span access 93 of a distribution cable. Of course, other suitableassemblies may use the connectors according to the concepts disclosedherein.

By way of example, connectors disclosed herein may be converted from afirst connector footprint to a second connector footprint. FIG. 56 is aperspective view of an explanatory connector 10′ that further comprisesa conversion housing 80 attached about the housing 20 for changing theconnector 10′ from a first connector footprint to a second connectorfootprint and FIG. 57 is a sectional view of the connector 10′. By wayof example, the connector 10′ may have a first connector footprint suchas shown in FIG. 19 and be changed to a second connector footprint suchas a SC connector by adding conversion housing 80. However, any of thesuitable connectors disclosed herein may be converted as describedherein. Conversion housing 80 cooperates with housing 20 for changingfrom the first connector footprint to the second connector footprint. Inthis embodiment, the changing of the first connector footprint to thesecond connector footprint comprises the use of a single component.

In other embodiments, the changing of the first connector footprint tothe second connector footprint may comprise the use of a plurality ofcomponents. Illustratively, FIG. 58 is a partially exploded view ofanother connector 100′ that may be changed from a cable assembly 100having first connector footprint 10 to a second connector footprint 10′as shown assembled in FIG. 59 . Further, this embodiment of the secondconnector footprint 10′ comprises a hardened connector footprint.Hardened connector footprint means that the connector is suitable foroutdoor environments without be protected within a closure. Any suitableconnector 10 disclosed herein may be used for such a conversion from thefirst footprint to the second footprint. FIG. 58 depicts cable assembly100 with connector 10 with the plurality of components for theconversion to the second footprint exploded for depicting the assemblyof the components. In this particular embodiment, the plurality ofcomponents are suitable for converting connector 10 to a hardenedOptiTap® compatible connector; however, the plurality of components maybe configured for converting connector 10 into other hardened connectorsas desired. In this embodiment, the plurality of components for theconversion to the hardened connector comprise an inner boot 83, an outerboot 87, a conversion housing 82 configured as a shroud, a retainingmember 84 configured as a retaining nut and a coupling nut 85. To makethe conversion to the hardened connector, the inner boot 83 is slid overup over part of connector 10 and the conversion housing or shroud 82 isslid rearward into position and then the retaining nut 84 is secured tothe threads of connector 10. The coupling nut 85 is slid onto shroud 82and then outer boot 87 can be slid-up into position from the rear.Shroud 82 may include an O-ring 86 for sealing during mating. FIG. 60 isan assembled view of the fiber optic connector of FIG. 58 showing thehardened second connector footprint with the dust cap 88 installedthereon. FIG. 61 is a sectional view of the hardened connector of FIG.60 .

Still other embodiments for the conversion of connectors 10 are possibleaccording to the concepts disclosed herein. By way of example,connectors 10 similar to the connector 10 of FIG. 2A with the transitionregion TR having a threaded portion TP may be converted to otherconnectors. FIG. 62 depicts cable assembly 100 having connector 10 witha connector housing 20 comprising a transition region TR having athreaded portion TP similar to connector 10 of FIG. 2A. FIG. 63 showsthe connector 10 of FIG. 62 with a conversion housing 82 attached aboutthe housing 20 for changing connector 10 with a first connectorfootprint to a connector 10″ with second connector footprint. Secondconnector footprint for connector 10″ comprises a hardened connectorfootprint, thereby converting cable assembly 100 to cable assembly 100″.

FIG. 64 is a partially exploded view of connector 10″ of FIG. 63 . Thisparticular conversion uses a plurality of components for convertingconnector 10 to a hardened OptiTap® compatible connector 10″; however,the plurality of components may be configured for converting connector10 into other hardened connectors as desired. The plurality ofcomponents for the conversion to connector 10″ comprise the conversionhousing 82 configured as shroud, a retaining member 84 configured as aretaining clip, and a coupling nut 85. Shroud 82 may include one or moreO-rings 86 for sealing during mating with a complimentary device.

To make the conversion to the connector 10″, the shroud 82 is slid intoa passageway of coupling nut 85 as shown and then slid over connector 10from the front end. Next, the shroud 82 is rotated so that the internalthreads 82T of shroud 82 as best shown in FIG. 65 engage with thethreaded portion TP of connector 10 until the shroud 82 is secured toconnector 10. Thereafter, retaining member 84 is aligned with the frontend of the shroud 82 and then pushed onto the connector 10 until it isseated and retained on housing 20, thereby inhibiting the shroud 82 frombacking off the threaded portion TP of connector 10 as depicted in FIG.66 .

FIG. 67 is a detailed sectional view of the front end of connector 10″showing the retaining member 84 secured to connector 10 and FIGS. 68 and69 are perspective views of the retaining member 84. As depicted,retaining member 84 comprises an opening 840 at the front for receivinga portion of housing 20 therethrough when installed. Additionally,retaining member 84 also has a front flange 84F shaped to the passagewayof shroud 82 so it may be inserted and engage connector 10. Retainingmember 84 may also include one or more keyways 84K for allowing theretaining member to slide past keying feature 20K of connector 10.Windows 84W disposed on opposite sides of retaining member 84 engagewith ears 27 of housing 20 for securing the retaining member 84 toconnector 10. Once installed, retainer member 84 inhibits the shroud 82from rotating and coming off connector 10. Connector 100″ may alsoinclude a dust cap 88 like connector 10′ of FIG. 60 .

The connector concepts disclosed herein may be used with still otherconnector designs such as connectors using a ferrule disposed in aferrule holder. FIGS. 70-78 disclose a cable assembly 100 comprisingconnector 10. Connector 10 of FIGS. 70-78 is similar to other connectors10 disclosed herein, but it has ferrule 30 disposed within a ferruleholder 49 and inserted from a front end 23 of the connector 10 asdepicted in FIG. 75 . Housing 20 of the connector 10 of FIGS. 70-78 issimilar to other housings 20 discussed herein and differences with bedescribed while other details will not be repeated for the sake ofbrevity.

FIGS. 70 and 71 respectively are perspective and sectional views showingcable assembly 100 comprising connector 10 having a ferrule 30 disposedwithin a ferrule holder 49, thereby forming a ferrule sub-assembly (notnumbered) that is biased to a forward position by resilient member 50.When assembled, ferrule sub-assembly (60) is configured to cooperatewith the housing (20) for inhibiting the rotation of the ferrulesubassembly (60) with respect to the housing (20) as best shown in FIG.78 .

As depicted in FIG. 70 , connector 10 is configured so that conversionhousing 80 may be attached to housing 20 for converting to an SCconnector. Likewise, connector 10 has housing 20 with a transitionregion TR with a threaded portion TP similar to the housing 20 depictedin FIG. 2A so it may be converted to a hardened connector as depicted inFIGS. 62-69 .

FIGS. 72-74 are various views of the housing 20 of the connector 10depicted in FIGS. 70 and 71 . FIG. 72A is bottom perspective viewshowing the locking feature 20L of housing 20 configured as a ramp (notnumbered) with a ledge (not numbered) as the retaining feature forcooperating with a suitable securing feature of a device. Housing 20 issimilar to the housings 20 disclosed herein, but further comprises oneor more latch arms 20LA disposed in a front portion FP of housing 20 asdepicted. Moreover, the front opening of passageway 22 is sized forallowing the insertion of ferrule holder 49 from the front end 23 ofhousing 20 such as shown in the cross-section of FIG. 73 . Latch arms20LA are connected at the front end and cantilevered at the rear end sothey can be deflected when ferrule holder 49 is inserted and then springback to retain the ferrule holder 49 once it is fully-inserted.

FIG. 75 is a partially exploded view of the front end of connector 10prior to the ferrule holder 49 and ferrule 30 being inserted intohousing 20. FIG. 76 is a cross-sectional view of the front end of theconnector 10 after the ferrule holder 49 and ferrule 30 are insertedinto housing 20 and retained by latch arms 20LA. As depicted, latch arms20LA have ramp portions for aiding portions of ferrule holder 49 todeflect the latch arms 20LA outward as the ferrule holder 49 is insertedinto housing 20 and then spring back over ferrule holder 49 forretaining the same.

Referring to FIG. 75 , optical fiber 92 of cable 90 is assembled toextend past the front end 23 and resilient member 50 is threaded aboutoptical fiber 92 and then the ferrule holder 49 and ferrule 30 arethreaded over optical fiber 92. Optical fiber 92 may be clamped in asuitable manner through bores 20C disposed on opposite side of housing20 as represented by the arrows in FIG. 76 when ferrule holder 49 isbeing inserted into housing 20. Clamping optical fiber 92 inhibits theoptical fiber 92 from pushing rearward or buckling as ferrule holder 49inserted. Ferrule holder 49 is aligned to a suitable rotational positionand pushed rearward into housing 20 until retained by latch arms 20LA asdepicted in FIG. 76 . Optical fiber 92 is secured to ferrule 30 in asuitable fashion and the end face of ferrule 30 is polished.

Additionally, ferrule holder 49 may be configured for tuning ferrule 30relative to housing 20. FIG. 77 is a perspective detailed view of theferrule 30 disposed in ferrule holder 49. As shown, ferrule holder 49comprises a plurality of recesses 49R formed in flange 49F for tuning ofthe connector. In this embodiment, flange 49F has four recesses 49Rallowing four different rotational positions for ferrule holder49/ferrule 30, thereby allowing quadrant tuning. FIG. 78 is a detailedfront end view of the connector 10 showing that the front opening ofhousing 20 is sized for allowing the insertion of the ferrule holders.Additionally, a portion of the passageway 22 is sized to cooperate withthe flange 49F and allow different rotational positions. Consequently,after measurement of the end face profile of the ferrule 30 ormeasurement of the insertion loss, the ferrule 30 may be tuned ifdesired for improving performance such as to a Grade B standard. By wayof explanation, the latch arms 20LA may be deflected outward to releasethe ferrule holder 49 and then the ferrule holder 49 is rotated to thedesired position and inserted back into the housing 20 until it isretained by latch arms 20LA. Other embodiments of ferrule holder 49 mayhave other suitable numbers of rotational positions as desired.

Other variations of the housing 20 for connectors 10 is also possible.FIGS. 79 and 79A depict perspective view and cross-sectional views ofanother connector housing that may be used with any of the suitableconcepts disclosed. In this embodiment, the rear portion RP isnon-round, and has a polygonal cross-section PCS as shown by thecross-section in FIG. 79A. FIG. 79A shows that this housing 20 may havea keying feature 20K which may take any suitable form or may a keyingportion 20KP as desired. Likewise, this housing 20 may use any suitablelocking feature 20L as desired.

Although the disclosure has been illustrated and described herein withreference to explanatory embodiments and specific examples thereof, itwill be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art thatother embodiments and examples can perform similar functions and/orachieve like results. All such equivalent embodiments and examples arewithin the spirit and scope of the disclosure and are intended to becovered by the appended claims. It will also be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be madeto the concepts disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe same. Thus, it is intended that the present application cover themodifications and variations provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

We claim:
 1. A fiber optic connector, comprising: a housing comprising arear portion defining a rear end, a front portion defining a front end,and a longitudinal passageway extending from the rear end to the frontend, wherein a part of the rear portion of the housing comprises a roundcross-section with a keying portion and a locking feature integrallyformed in the rear portion of the housing for securing the opticalmating of the fiber optic connector, and wherein a part of the frontportion of the housing comprises a non-round cross-section with atransition region disposed between the rear portion and the frontportion; a ferrule holder disposed within the housing component; and aferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from a rear end to a frontend, wherein the ferrule is disposed within a portion of the ferruleholder.
 2. The fiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein the keyingportion extends into the transition region.
 3. The fiber optic connectorof claim 1, wherein the keying portion is configured as a female key. 4.The fiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein the transition regioncomprises a threaded portion.
 5. The fiber optic connector of claim 4,wherein the threaded portion is adjacent to the keying portion.
 6. Thefiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein the locking feature of thehousing is disposed about 180 degrees from the keying portion.
 7. Thefiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein the locking feature of thehousing is disposed less than 180 degrees from the keying portion. 8.The fiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein the locking feature is aramp with a ledge.
 9. The fiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein thelocking feature is a notch, a groove, a shoulder, or a scallop formed inthe housing.
 10. The fiber optic connector of claim 1, furthercomprising a cable adapter sized for fitting into a rear opening of thehousing.
 11. The fiber optic connector of claim 10, further comprising aboot attached to the cable adapter.
 12. The fiber optic connector ofclaim 11, wherein the boot is overmolded on the cable adapter.
 13. Thefiber optic connector of claim 11, further comprising a sealing elementdisposed about a portion of the boot.
 14. The fiber optic connector ofclaim 1, further comprising a resilient member for biasing the ferruleholder to a forward position.
 15. The fiber optic connector of claim 1,wherein the housing further comprises one or more latch arms forsecuring the ferrule holder within the housing.
 16. The fiber opticconnector of claim 1, further comprising an O-ring disposed on thehousing.
 17. The fiber optic connector of claim 1 being a portion of acable assembly comprising a fiber optic cable.
 18. A fiber opticconnector, comprising: a housing comprising a rear portion defining arear end, a front portion defining a front end, and a longitudinalpassageway extending from the rear end to the front end, wherein a partof a rear portion of the housing comprises a round cross-section with akeying portion and a locking feature integrally formed in the rearportion of the housing for securing the optical mating of the fiberoptic connector, and wherein a part of a front portion of the housingcomprises a non-round cross-section with a transition region disposedbetween the rear portion and the front portion; a ferrule holderdisposed within the housing component; and a ferrule comprising a fiberbore extending from a rear end to a front end, wherein the ferrule isdisposed within a portion of the ferrule holder.
 19. The fiber opticconnector of claim 18, wherein the keying portion extends into thetransition region.
 20. The fiber optic connector of claim 18, whereinthe keying portion is configured as a female key.
 21. The fiber opticconnector of claim 18, wherein the transition region comprises athreaded portion is adjacent to the keying portion.
 22. The fiber opticconnector of claim 18, wherein the locking feature of the housing isdisposed about 180 degrees from the keying portion.
 23. The fiber opticconnector of claim 18, wherein the locking feature of the housing isdisposed less than 180 degrees from the keying portion.
 24. The fiberoptic connector of claim 18, wherein the at least one locking feature isa ramp with a ledge.
 25. The fiber optic connector of claim 18, whereinthe at least one locking feature is a notch, a groove, a shoulder, or ascallop formed in the housing.
 26. The fiber optic connector of claim18, further comprising a cable adapter sized for fitting into a rearopening of the housing.
 27. The fiber optic connector of claim 26,further comprising a boot attached to the cable adapter.
 28. The fiberoptic connector of claim 27, wherein the boot is overmolded on the cableadapter.
 29. The fiber optic connector of claim 27, further comprising asealing element disposed about a portion of the boot.
 30. The fiberoptic connector of claim 18, further comprising a resilient member forbiasing the ferrule holder to a forward position.
 31. The fiber opticconnector of claim 18, wherein the housing further comprises one or morelatch arms for securing the ferrule holder within the housing.
 32. Thefiber optic connector of claim 18, further comprising an O-ring disposedon the housing.
 33. The fiber optic connector of claim 18 being aportion of a cable assembly comprising a fiber optic cable.
 34. A fiberoptic connector, comprising: a housing comprising a rear portiondefining a rear end, a front portion defining a front end, and alongitudinal passageway extending from the rear end to the front end,wherein a part of a rear portion of the housing comprises a roundcross-section with a keying portion and a locking feature integrallyformed in the rear portion of the housing for securing the opticalmating of the fiber optic connector, and wherein a part of a frontportion of the housing comprises a non-round cross-section with atransition region disposed between the rear portion and the frontportion; a ferrule holder disposed within the housing component; aferrule comprising a fiber bore extending from a rear end to a frontend, wherein the ferrule is disposed within a portion of the ferruleholder; and a fiber optic cable comprising an optical fiber, wherein theoptical fiber is disposed in the fiber bore of the ferrule.
 35. Thefiber optic connector of claim 34, wherein the keying portion extendsinto the transition region.
 36. The fiber optic connector of claim 34,wherein the keying portion is configured as a female key.
 37. The fiberoptic connector of claim 34, wherein the transition region comprises athreaded portion.
 38. The fiber optic connector of claim 37, wherein thethreaded portion is adjacent to the keying portion.
 39. The fiber opticconnector of claim 34, wherein the locking feature of the housing isdisposed about 180 degrees from the keying portion.
 40. The fiber opticconnector of claim 34, wherein the locking feature of the housing isdisposed less than 180 degrees from the keying portion.
 41. The fiberoptic connector of claim 34, wherein the locking feature is a ramp witha ledge.
 42. The fiber optic connector of claim 34, wherein the lockingfeature is a notch, a groove, a shoulder, or a scallop formed in thehousing.
 43. The fiber optic connector of claim 34, further comprising acable adapter sized for fitting into a rear opening of the housing. 44.The fiber optic connector of claim 43, further comprising a bootattached to the cable adapter.
 45. The fiber optic connector of claim44, wherein the boot is overmolded on the cable adapter.
 46. The fiberoptic connector of claim 44, further comprising a sealing elementdisposed about a portion of the boot.
 47. The fiber optic connector ofclaim 34, further comprising a resilient member for biasing the ferruleholder to a forward position.
 48. The fiber optic connector of claim 34,wherein the housing further comprises one or more latch arms forsecuring the ferrule holder within the housing.
 49. The fiber opticconnector of claim 34, further comprising an O-ring disposed on thehousing.
 50. A fiber optic connector, comprising: a housing comprising arear portion defining a rear end and a front portion defining a frontend, and a longitudinal passageway extending from the rear end to thefront end, wherein a part of a rear portion of the housing comprises around cross-section with a keying portion configured as a female key anda locking feature configured as a ramp with a ledge that is integrallyformed in the rear portion of the housing for securing the opticalmating of the fiber optic connector, and wherein a part of a frontportion of the housing comprises a non-round cross-section with atransition region disposed between the rear portion and the frontportion; a ferrule holder disposed within the housing; and a ferrulecomprising a fiber bore extending from a rear end to a front end,wherein the ferrule is disposed within a portion of the ferrule holder.51. The fiber optic connector of claim 50, further comprising an O-ringdisposed on the housing.
 52. The fiber optic connector of claim 50,further comprising a cable adapter sized for fitting into a rear openingof the housing.
 53. The fiber optic connector of claim 50 being aportion of a cable assembly comprising a fiber optic cable.